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Open house to focus on design for South Bellevue light rail segment

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With the East Link alignment now established, community members are encouraged to take part in the final design effort

Community members are invited to get involved with the final design work that is underway for the East Link light rail extension at an upcoming open house focusing on the South Bellevue segment.

South Bellevue segment open house
5-7 p.m. Thursday, May 30
Presentation begins at 5:30 p.m.
Hilton Bellevue Hotel, 300 112th Ave. S.E., Bellevue

The East Link light rail alignment is now final following the April 25 action by the Sound Transit Board approving cost-saving options identified in conjunction with the City of Bellevue, reducing the project's cost by $30 to $53 million. The final design process will advance design work from approximately 30 percent to 100 percent completion.

The final design process will offer continuing opportunities for residents, neighborhood organizations, property owners and businesses to get involved. Attendees of this open house focusing on the South Bellevue segment will learn about station designs and permanent station names, as well as concurrent City of Bellevue projects and more.

Riding East Link between Seattle and Downtown Bellevue is projected to take less than 20 minutes. By comparison, in the afternoon peak period it can currently take approximately 45 minutes to travel between Seattle and Bellevue via I-90.

As the region's population continues growing East Link will provide expanded transportation capacity to the I-90 corridor. Increases in the length and frequency of trains over time offer the capacity to carry from 9,000 to 12,000 people per hour in each direction, which would more than double the person-carrying capacity of I-90. By 2030 East Link is projected to carry about 50,000 riders each weekday.